76' Substitution

76' Substitution

Fulham U19s' attempt to defend our 2013 Dr Pepper Dallas Cup Title came to a premature end as Coritiba secured a 3-0 win to send the Whites home early from the 2014 tournament.

Goals from Juninho, Italo and Luccas Baretto ensured the Brazilian outfit finished top of Bracket A in the Gordon Jago Super Group ahead of the Whites to progress to the Semi Finals.

Coritiba, winner of the Dallas Cup themselves in 2012, had come head-to-head with Fulham in the opening match of last year’s competition, with the Whites running out 3-1 winners and going on to lift the trophy.

But this year, with a place in the last four at stake, the opening exchanges were tense with both teams’ back-lines dealing well with any early pressure. The South Americans took control of the game and the Whites had goalkeeper Marek Rodak to thank for keeping the scores level with a close-range block.

Steve Wigley’s team responded well and Josh Passley’s driving run caused chaos in the Coritiba defence but the right-back failed to get a shot away and went tumbling, although penalty appeals were waved away.

But the Whites were chasing the game after 28 minutes. After Jordan Evans conceded a corner, centre-back Jose Carlos Ferriera, also known as Juninho, stole a yard at the near post to head past Rodak.

Coritiba, who are nicknamed Coxa, would have doubled the scoring soon after were it not for Rodak’s reflexes, as the Slovakian goalkeeper dived full-length to deny Rodrigo Ramos’ rasping 25-yard drive.

As half-time approached, Cameron Burgess climbed highest to meet an in-swinging free-kick but his header was agonisingly close to the target, and Emerson Hyndman’s effort whistled past the upright.

The Whites continued in a similar attacking vein after the restart, with Moussa Dembélé feeding French compatriot Ange-Freddy Plumain on the left. His deep cross was met with a stinging far-post volley from captain Lasse Vigen Christensen but the Danish midfielder’s strike was charged down.

Dembélé then unleashed a shot of his own, which was blocked, and substitute Josh Smile’s pin-point pass opened up space for Plumain to test the Coxa goalkeeper at his near post but the shot was well held.

Another chance for the Whites went begging after Dembélé headed over following Liam Donnelly’s flick across goal, before Coritiba made it two thanks to Italo’s 75th-minute strike on the counter-attack.

Fulham were not ready to concede defeat and Hyndman's effort struck the outside of the post but, with players committed forward, another breakaway secured the victory as Luccas Baretto added Coxo's third.

The Whites finished second in Bracket A with two wins and a defeat from their three games.